Tutelage
by jalyn712
Summary: This is part of a series of mostly one-shots that the 'ole muse has given me, and it features Evan from "Hot." If a more brazen CJ interests you, I recommend reading that, first, as it's where you'll find their backstory. I like his character, so he's going to pop up from time-to-time. *Note the ratings.


_As mentioned in the description, Evan is still around. In fact, this is solely CJ and Evan. Hope you enjoy._

She was leaving Evan's, one morning, and...she couldn't say what happened to make her strike out at him, but she did. A flash from the past reared its head and clicked her mind into fight or flight; instinctively, she chose fight. Her reflexes were quick but not nearly enough for an ex-special forces officer - or, whatever he really was.

He caught her wrist and looked at her steadily. "Care to share what that was all about?" he asked smoothly.

"I've no idea," she said, honestly.

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. There was no judgment in his eyes. It was more of an understanding.

"You're quick but not quick enough," he stated, and it wasn't a comparison between their skills. It was an umbrella statement; she was good enough to hold her own against most but not if a professional came at her.

"Tell me something I don't know," she said, as she wrenched her arm from his grasp and bent over to grab her purse off of the sofa.

"I know this isn't what we 'do,' but would you like to talk about it?" His offer was genuine.

Surprised, she jerked her head towards him. "Thanks, but I don't think so." The past was best left in the past.

He nodded his head. "Okay. But, I can teach you a few moves, if you're interested."

This didn't surprise her as much as it would have a minute earlier. She looked at him and seriously considered his offer. In her line of work, becoming stronger in her defensive moves would be more than an asset. It would also help her on her personal time - if her past was anything to judge the future by.

"You're on," she heard herself say.

He put his hands in his front jeans pockets - the only clothing he was currently wearing, and it set her temperature rising. He certainly was a sight to behold.

"Any objection to starting now?" he was straight-faced, as if her answer didn't matter, but she could tell that it did.

"No. I've nowhere I have to be." It was another Sunday morning, and the only things getting her attention when she left here would be her flowers.

"Come on," and he hitched his head behind him, towards the kitchen.

She threw her purse back onto the couch and followed him through the kitchen to a door she had never seen. Hell, until now, she hadn't seen his kitchen - which was nice and modern - but in this relationship, she'd never made it past the living room. She smiled at the thought and grinned wider, when she realized their relationship was all about the physical...and would now include physical training. Nice.

He opened the door for them and raised a brow, when he saw her widened smile. "What's that for?" he inquired lazily.

"No reason," she chirped. She knew things were going to be intense, when they began, but she couldn't help her juvenile moment.

He just shook his head, as if he'd read her mind, and led the way down the stairs to his basement. When they reached the landing, she looked around in some surprise but kept her face fairly neutral. There was nothing _ex _about this guy; his entire basement was an open training facility. Save for a door on one wall, which she supposed led to a bathroom, the entire space was decked out in a home gym, martial arts equipment...some of which she couldn't begin to decipher...along with a large square mat. There was more - too much to take in at once - but one thing was for certain: he was still active in his career. Of which, she was curious about the details but knew better than to ask.

"Amazing," was all she said and kept her voice as neutral as possible.

He smirked at her - again, as if he knew what she was thinking - but clarified nothing. That was fine with her; she was only interested in his skills and what he could pass along to her. Judging by this place, it would be a lot.

"Ever meditate?" he asked without a hint of mirth.

She answered honestly, "Yes, but only a few times. I'm not very good at quieting my mind."

He nodded his head. "Good honest answer. It can be that way in the beginning. But, it's important to keep yourself grounded. It's going to be the first thing we work on with you."

She wanted to narrow her eyes at him for what she thought of as a slight but didn't. Evan was a professional - whatever his exact occupation - and she wanted to be better defensively. She'd take what knowledge he had to impart and learn from it.

"Fine. I'm assuming we need to sit for this," she looked around but saw no chairs.

"On the mat. You need to be comfortable, so if your clothes are too snug, change into the extra robe that's hanging on the back of the bathroom door." He indicated the door she'd seen when she'd looked around.

She didn't say a word but walked to the bathroom and changed into the robe. It hung past her knees, but that suited her fine. She tied the belt and headed back to the mat to sit Indian-style.

He joined her but said, "I'm not going to tell you how to position yourself; that's for you to decide; but, it can be better to sit with the soles of your feet together. No restriction in blood flow this way," and he did so as he was speaking. She mimicked him; it made sense to her. "Now, close your eyes, and for a few seconds, pay attention to your neck alignment. Move your head slightly to the left and to the right, but pay attention to what feels _aligned_."

She did as he said and found that after a few movements, she found there was a place that felt aligned just as he had said there would be. She almost smiled because it felt good. Just closing her eyes and aligning her spine clicked something akin to relief within her. Maybe that was a silly thought, but it felt true.

"Good," he said. Obviously, he was watching her and saw that she had settled. "Now, in this position, it's usually best to place your forearms on your thighs. Again, however that is most comfortable to you. Palms up or down, it doesn't matter."

She found what was comfortable for her and felt another notch of tension ease out of her. And, she hadn't even begun the breathing exercises, yet. Nice. She must have had a telling expression on her face because there was a smile in his voice when next he said, "Now, we're going to focus on your breathing. Relax and breathe normally but focus on it. The in-and-out, in-and-out. Simple breaths..."

She followed his instructions and felt some more tension ease from her body, but just then, thoughts started flashing through her mind. Her brows knitted, and she tried to push them away.

His next words were, "Whatever enters your mind, don't fight it. Let the thoughts come, but focus on your breath and see them exit as easily as they entered."

She tried this for a few minutes. It wasn't easy, but she was able to conjure an open door in her mind's eye and watched as the thoughts were sucked out of it. This suggestion, she remembered from a past lesson on meditation. It hadn't worked for her, before, but it did now.

"Start breathing a little more deeply, now. It doesn't have to be great intakes of air - just a little more. Expand your lungs and keep allowing the thoughts to go as easily as they come. Any background noises...don't fight them, either; let them be and keep focusing on your breath. Complete silence isn't necessary for successful meditation; you'll never get it, anyway."

This made her want to smile, secretly thinking of his voice as 'background noise,' now.

"I'll be joining you in meditating soon enough. But, I _am _trying to teach you something, here," he said in response to her thoughts. In that moment, she had a hit about the consistent surprises with him being able to respond to her unspoken thoughts - they were because of his ability to focus and receive clarity. Where that thought came from, she couldn't say, but it felt strong. Wild. Then, came the thought that it didn't hurt that the two of them were on similar wavelengths. Hmmm... As instructed, though, she accepted those thoughts but watched even them blow out the door.

She breathed a little deeper still, and she made certain not to push it.

"You're doing good. Keep it up. We'll do this for another few minutes, and then, we'll move on to something else," he said before he became silent, as well.

Within a short amount of time, her body felt a little tingly followed by...nothing. She couldn't feel specific body parts, just energy(?) flowing through her body; instead of making her panic, she welcomed this non-feeling. Like a non-space but an energizing one. Easily, she 'stayed put.' In what seemed like only a matter of seconds, Evan was telling her to count backwards from ten with the goal of opening her eyes on one. She did as instructed and felt...different...as she reoriented herself to her surroundings.

"Feel okay?" he asked as he watched her.

"Yes."

"Good. Not bad for the first time. We'll take a minute to regroup, before we begin."

Soon enough, he had her stand and started his tutelage of her.

Amazingly...what she had originally mistook for a brief fling with a hot guy from a bar turned into a longer affair and the strengthening of herself - inside and out. Evan worked with her for weeks, and she became swift and confident in her abilities. His tips were on-the-mark, and she was able to hold her own with him, when they sparred. If he was holding anything back, it didn't seem to be much because he had admitted that he wanted her to be able to take care of herself, no matter who was coming at her.

"The physical edge you need is focus, Parsons. Get to that place you reach when you meditate, where you're breathing and your senses are heightened, and pay close attention to your opponent. It's good that you have the moves down, but your best bet will always be to anticipate what the other guy is going to do before he does it. Moves don't mean dip, if you're not expecting what's coming. You'll choose wrong, and you'll go down."

Made perfect sense to her.

"One other thing: if you do make a mistake, and you're not put out of commission...just like the thoughts that you ease out during meditation...let it go. Forgive the error, shake it off, and get back in the game as quickly as you can."

CJ loved training with Evan. She was learning so much, and she was a more-than-eager student. Like every study she'd endeavored in her life, she threw herself into it. But, this was so much different; she was becoming a stronger person and knew without a doubt that she would be a real asset in the field, when Houston returned. She'd be having a talk with him about no longer staying in the office full-time. If he tried to put up roadblocks, she'd invite him to the mat in the gym for a go-round. The fact that he was an ex-Ranger would no longer deter her from her goals in this area. She wouldn't acquiesce to his mandates because the story had changed; he and his uncle were no longer the only ones with skills beneficial to the job.

After all of these years, she could practice corporate law in her sleep; it was time to enhance her duties and get back to investigative work. Perhaps, she'd take on her own cases, if he wanted to keep working with Roy. They could confer and aid one another on an as-needed basis.

In the meantime, she was becoming lethal in her physical abilities - thanks to Evan, who was still making her blood boil, during their recreation periods.

He was also helping her to perfect her Spanish and offered to teach her Russian, if she was interested.

They were in his kitchen getting a drink after an intense sparring session, when he made that last offer. Without hesitation, she asked, "Aren't you concerned about what you're teaching me - and what dots I might connect about you?..."

"Nope," he said and took another drink from his glass of water. His gaze never wavered from hers.

It brought an immediate smile to her face. Not that he wasn't worried about her abilities because he wasn't stating that she was incapable; he was simply confident in his own abilities. Besides, she knew enough to be certain that he'd already investigated her thoroughly long before making his initial offer to teach her 'a few moves,' several weeks ago. It spoke of a confidence in her that she didn't try to analyze. It didn't matter if he was confident that she'd keep his secrets, if she did discover them - or, if he was confident she'd never succeed. Either way, he was helping her, and she believed it to be just that; he wanted her to be able to take better care of herself.

In the weeks they'd spent together, he'd made a couple of comments that had let her know he'd seen some of the news coverages about her in the past few years. She didn't know which ones, specifically - Costanos, Duval, Christian Dean, Robert Tyler, or one of the several bullet wounds she'd sustained in the field - but he was making sure she was better prepared for what may be to come.

Funny how Houston had only taught her so much, then tried to box her up inside the penthouse. But, she gave up that line of thought; it was no good to compare the two men. The one she was currently in bed with was the one she wanted to focus on, right now.

Curiously, she asked him, "Is it lonely, Evan, living your kind of life?" She didn't need to allude to more.

"Is yours?" he countered.

"Touche."

And, that was that.

In the last week, he was honing her skills with weapons. Her deftness with knives was surprising her because she'd been around guns all of her life, and she knew how to fire with precision. It had been needed on the ranch, growing up, and she'd certainly had to use her handgun as an adult. But, she was discovering that she was damned good with a knife, too. Amazing.

"Seems you've had some untapped abilities, Parsons. Not bad, at all," Evan confirmed.

One day, he told her, "I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of weeks. Think you can make it without me," he teased.

"I'll do my damnedest."

"Good girl." He continued looking at her and said, "Come on. I'll buy you dinner."

"What? You're going to be seen in public with me?" she jibed.

"Not really. We're going to the bar."

She laughed out loud. "You're on. I get the shower, first!" And, she ran as fast as she could to get to the upstairs bathroom, bounding up multiple steps at a time. Even with her own speed, which was considerable these days, he was right on top of her. They hit the threshold at nearly the same time.

"Tie," he breathed.

"It was not. I beat you fair and square," she huffed back.

"Not when you start off cheating." He turned her to face him, holding her body to his.

"The hell, you say," she nearly sighed.

"Only one way to settle this, then. We share the shower." He bent his head to kiss her oh-so-thoroughly. As he was doing so, he turned their bodies so that hers wound up farthest away from the shower.

She was wise to him, and when they broke for air, she said, "Ass."

He chuckled. "You're about to see it, yes."

"And, a nice ass it is, too." She waggled her brows at him.

"Not so bad, yourself," and he slapped hers for effect. She jumped but brought his head back down for another kiss.

Their clothes were quickly disposed of, and he turned the water on. She admired the view as he did so.

"Stop ogling me, woman. I'm not a piece of meat." He check the temperature of the spray and turned back towards her.

"Can I help it if there's eye candy so fully exposed before me?" she asked innocently enough.

His heated gaze raked her over from head to toe, before he met her eyes. His pupils were dilated, and his nose flared ever-so-slightly. "In," he said, and took her by the hips to set her in the shower. It wasn't long before they were entwined and meeting one another thrust for thrust. CJ's head was thrown back against the tiled wall, and she screamed his name as she came. His hand was gripping her hair, his face buried in her neck, and he bellowed his own release.

When they came back down to earth, they uncoupled and adeptly washed one another. Evan was shampooing her hair, and she nearly purred.

"Hey, now. If you keep making little noises like that, we're not going to make it out of here before the water turns cold." His interest in her was making itself apparent, again.

She pressed back against him and wiggled her bottom. "Where's your sense of adventure, Evan?"

He rinsed a hand in the spray before deftly placing it between her thighs. "You mean, like this?"

She moaned out loud and spread her legs to give him better access. "Hussy," he teased, but she wouldn't deny it. This man turned her on in every way possible. His hand left her, and she whimpered in her need, but he turned her around to rinse her hair for her. When that was done, he bent his head and kissed her. His tongue swept in and seared her to her core, and the rising evidence of his arousal only heightened the heat within her. As quickly as the kiss began, it ended and Evan was turning her around to face the wall. "Spread your legs for me," he said huskily in her ear, and she eagerly complied. But, he didn't enter her right away. He teased her ear with his breath, his tongue. All the while sliding one hand achingly slowly towards her center. She started twitching and moving her hips as if it would get him where she wanted him faster. He did give her some relief when his other hand reached up to play with her breasts. She groaned because she could feel his erection on her lower back, and his tongue was now making its way down her neck and across to the other side. She was sure the steam was coming from her, now.

Her hips jerked when his lower hand reached its mark and played with her, again, but it was all too brief. "Evan," she pleaded.

"I'm right here," and with that, he guided himself inside her. He palmed the back of her hands, their fingers entwined, and placed them on the tiled wall. "I'm right here," he repeated and began moving. Instinctively, she opened her legs as far as she could and pushed her hips back to give him better access, a deeper penetration. On his next thrust, they both groaned deeply.

This time, the water did cool before they made it to the finish, but neither of them minded. It only served to help them come down. Quickly, they rinsed. Evan turned the tap off and got out to briefly towel himself before wrapping it around his hips. Then, he took the spare towel and dried her off, paying homage to all of her, and she savored it. Her time with Evan was amazing.

"You're really something, you know that," he said, when he was finished.

"So are you."

"Hungry?"

"Famished."

"Still want to go out?" he asked.

"No. Let's order a pizza."

"Excellent idea."

"I'm not just another pretty face."

She expected funny or sarcastic comment in return, in keeping up with this tete-a-tete, but he surprised her with, "No, you're not." He briefly kissed her on the lips and said, "Come on. I'll give you one of my t-shirts, and then, I'll order the pizza. We can eat in bed and watch movies."

"Love it," she agreed to the plan. "I get to pick the chick flick!" she teased.

"Hell, no." he stated emphatically. "It's sci-fi or nothing."

"Nope, not tonight," she retorted, as they entered the bedroom. "We compromise. An action flick."

"Deal," he said and tossed a t-shirt at her from his top dresser drawer. She unabashedly dropped her towel and slipped the shirt over her head. Within seconds, he was in her space and kissing her, again. "You're so damned beautiful," he said, when he pulled his head back. "But, I need food. So, you'll have to wait for my sexual prowess, until I'm refueled."

"Who said I wanted you, again? I'm pretty hungry, myself." She raised a brow at him.

"You're hungry, alright. Insatiable little tart," he said, as he walked away to put on a pair of boxers.

CJ found a spare pair of underwear and slipped them on, herself. Then, she slid onto the bed and sat propped up against the headboard. "Not that you're complaining."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Not that I'm complaining."

The pizza came, and between the two of them, they made quick work of it. They watched a new-to-rental action flick, and not once did they leave the bed.

CJ was in heaven, tonight. Sexy guy, hot pizza, fast-paced movie, and a comfortable bed. Who could ask for more? And, that was the thought he interrupted to entice her into round three. So, she answered her own question - _now_, there was nothing else she wanted or needed.


End file.
